Tungwa’s Talking Pen at Nthungwa, Chikangawa!
It’s been a year since the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Vice President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, and seven others. Families are still waiting for tombstones, school fees, and—minor detail—answers. But fear not, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has come through with… a memorial pillar!
Because when in doubt, build a monument.
Yes, while children of some victims struggle to stay in school, and dusty graves mark where national heroes rest, MCP’s big idea is to erect concrete at Nthungwa, Chikangawa in Mzimba—presumably so that passing goats can bow in tribute. President Chakwera is expected to “grace” the event, which marks the first time he and Vice President Michael Usi will visit the area since the crash. Apparently, twelve months is the appropriate national mourning period before making a symbolic U-turn.
But the strangeness doesn’t stop there.
Widow Mary Chilima, who met Chakwera publicly, reminded him gently—but firmly—that she still has no idea what happened to her husband. To which the government replied: “Let’s build a pillar!”
Malawians still remember how Chakwera waited nine months before appointing a so-called “Commission of Inquiry” that looked more like an MCP Alumni Reunion. Out of 13 commissioners, 13 were loyal to the party or had government appointments—statistically, that’s 100% loyalty and 0% independence.
The commission’s final report blamed “bad weather”—apparently clouds are now the top suspects in VIP assassinations—and skipped over Chakwera’s initial wild theories, the MDF commander’s contradicting timelines, and Minister Kunkuyu’s PR gymnastics. No one was held accountable. Not even the air.
And just when you thought things couldn’t get murkier, family members were summoned to OPC for a meeting where—surprise!—they were promised a “report from German investigators.
With families of the late Chilima and Dzimbiri holding real memorials in Nsipe and Senzani, MCP’s event at Lunjika has quickly turned into a party-sponsored photo op—a grief-themed campaign rally, if you will.
Observers are calling it an embarrassment. Others say it’s a bad PR move. But within MCP circles, the mood is clear: why deliver justice when you can deliver cement?
As for President Chakwera, one might ask—what happened to transparency? To empathy? To truth?
Well… they’re probably being stored next to the tombstones.
